Garden Gems of Cornwall, Devon & the Isles of Scilly
Saturday 15th May – Saturday 22nd May 2021 (7 nights) – sadly this tour is no longer running due to Covid-19 restrictions. We will be offering this tour in 2022 – please get in touch with us to request early details, email: tours@sisley.co.uk
Join us on our tour of one of the most charming and quintessential corners of England. We visit some world-famous gardens including the Lost Gardens of Heligan, the Eden Project, Hestercombe and we make a fabulous trip to the Isles of Scilly to visit Tresco Abbey Garden. The coastal and moorland scenery of Cornwall and Devon is unsurpassed.
- Visit to the Isles of Scilly and Tresco Abbey Gardens
- Superb hotels, one on the River Dart and one with 25 acre private beach
- See the summer home of Agatha Christie
- World famous Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan
- Private gardens at Wildside Garden and Bonython Manor
- Cornish pasty lunch and private tour at Tregothnan Garden
- Private lunch with the owner and tour at Glendurgan Garden
- Lutyens/Jekyll masterpiece at Hestercombe Gardens
- Devon cream tea at The Garden House
- A free afternoon in the Cornish seaside town of St. Ives, famous for its artists and Tate St Ives Art Gallery & Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden
We meet at the Hilton London Paddington Hotel adjacent to Paddington Train Station and take a mid-morning train to Cornwall. This scenic train ride travels through beautiful countryside and is the ultimate means of relaxing travel to the far south-west of England. We stop off at St Austell where we visit the Eden Project. An astonishing story of regeneration, the Eden Project is nestled in a former china clay mine. The massive Biomes house the largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, exhibitions and striking contemporary gardens.
We continue by coach and arrive, late afternoon, at our hotel – the beautifully situated 4-star Carbis Bay Hotel & Spa, St Ives. This stunning coastal retreat, located close to St Ives, has its own 25 acre beach and breathtaking views. Dinner in the hotel (included).
Sunday 16th May
Today we begin with a visit to Glendurgan Garden – a valley garden of great beauty, created in the 1820s and running down to the tiny village of Durgan and its beach. There are many fine trees and rare and exotic plants with outstanding spring displays of magnolias and rhododendrons. Here we enjoy a gardens tour with the owner, Mr Charles Fox, followed by a delightful lunch (included) in his home.
In the afternoon we continue to the wonderful private garden at Bonython Estate. Here we meet the owner and enjoy a guided tour of the gardens which surround the elegant Georgian house. The gardens have been skillfully developed over the last 20 years and incorporate the walled garden, orchard, potager, lakes and cascades. We return to the hotel taking a scenic drive across Cornwall, passing the impressive castle of St Michael’s Mount that sits atop a rocky outcrop. Dinner in the hotel (included).
Monday 17th May
Today we make an early start. We take a flight from Land’s End airport to the Isles of Scilly, nestling just 35 miles off the coast of Cornwall, these islands are like nowhere else in England. Outstandingly beautiful, uncrowded and unspoilt, they seem like a world apart from everyday life. We take an inter-island boat to the island of Tresco to visit Tresco Abbey Gardens. This tropical garden is home to species from 80 countries, ranging from Brazil to New Zealand and Burma to South Africa – the diversity of plant life to be found within the Abbey Garden is extraordinary. There will be time for lunch (independent) at the garden before enjoying some of the island scenery and the return flight to the mainland. Dinner in the hotel (included).
Please note: This day trip to the Isles of Scilly includes transport by small aircraft (approx. 15 seats) and by small inter-island boat. If you prefer not to join the tour this day, please let us know at the time of booking and we may be able to adjust your tour price.
Tuesday 18th May
We begin with a private garden tour of Tregothnan Garden. The Estate has been in the Boscawen family since the 14th century and is the largest historic garden in Cornwall. The botanic collection was shaped 200 years ago when Rhododendrons, rare trees, shrubs and ornamental Camellias were brought into the arboretum. Tregothnan has persevered in pioneering botanical firsts, using their expertise to nurture rare plants, shrubs and Camellia sinensis (tea plants) within their unique micro-climate. Today they are the largest tea grower in Britain. Enjoy a traditional Cornish Pasty lunch (included) and taste the tea.
In the afternoon we make a visit to St Ives – the pretty Cornish seaside town has been attracting artists for decades who come to capture the area’s undeniable natural beauty and quality of light. There is time to enjoy this quaint but stylish town, and if you are interested, you can make an independent visit to Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Your evening is at leisure either at the hotel or in St Ives with its many cafes and restaurants.
Wednesday 19th May
After checking out of our hotel, we travel north and visit The Lost Gardens of Heligan. 30 years ago, The Lost Gardens of Heligan were rediscovered and underwent a ground breaking restoration project. We will enjoy a guided tour of the gardens and there will be time for lunch (independent) and further exploration.
We then cross from Cornwall into Devon and check-in to our second base of the tour, the 4-star Dart Marina Hotel & Spa. After settling into our rooms we take a private river cruise from the hotel jetty along the River Dart before returning to the hotel for dinner (included).
Thursday 20th May
This morning, we head to The Garden House in Dartmoor National Park. The ten-acre gardens were developed in the 1940s by Lionel and Katharine Fortescue. Over the next 40 years the Fortescues created a garden which is viewed as one of the finest in Britain. We enjoy a tour with the Head Gardener followed by a Devon cream tea lunch (included).
Wildside Nursery & Garden is our next stop. The private garden of Keith Wiley is located on the edge of Dartmoor. Keith was creator and head gardener at the nearby Garden House until 2003 when he decided to set up a new garden and nursery just half a mile down the road. He is a proponent of a ‘new naturalism’ movement in gardening, which seeks to work in harmony with nature, allowing plants to thrive much as they would in the wild. He takes inspiration from natural landscapes to create areas of planting in his gardens inspired by sights from around the world. Your evening is at leisure with the chance to explore the charming town of Dartmouth.
Friday 21st May
Today, we cross the River Dart on the car ferry and head to Coleton Fishacre, a 1920s country retreat built for Rupert D’Oyly Carte, the theatre impresario and hotel owner. With its luxuriant gardens by the sea leading to their own private beach, the house evokes the sophisticated spirit of the 1920’s. We walk tour the gardens with the Head Gardener and have free time to look inside the exquisite house and lunch (independent).
In the afternoon we continue on to Greenway House, former summer home of Agatha Christie. The house is exactly as she left it and contains her eclectic collections from around the world. There is time to explore the house and its collections and to stroll through the gardens. We return to the hotel in style in the Pullman observation car of the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Final night dinner in the hotel (included).
Saturday 22nd May
We check-out in the morning and head back towards London. En-route we make a stop at Hestercombe Gardens. The formal Edwardian Garden has been described as ‘Lutyens at his best’. Designed just before the First World War, it contains one of the great masterpieces of the collaboration between Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. There will be time for lunch (independent) and exploration of the gardens.
In the late afternoon we will make two coach drop-offs at London Heathrow Airport. One at the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel and the other at Terminal 3, a convenient point to join the Heathrow Express train to London Paddington station in central London or catch inter-terminal transport links.
Please read our Tour Joining and Departure Arrangements information sheet here and to download a printable version of this itinerary, click here.
Our Hotels
Our hotels are 4-star and selected for their high standards of comfort and service. All rooms are en-suite and offer free wi-fi access.
Carbis Bay Hotel & Spa, St Ives (4 nights)
This superb coastal retreat offers access to its own 25 acre beach and breathtaking views of the beautiful Carbis Bay. There are 47 individually designed bedrooms, a luxurious spa and award-winning dining. The hotel is located on a 125 acre estate just outside the picturesque town of St Ives. All rooms have sea views.
Dart Marina Hotel and Spa, Dartmouth (3 nights)
A tastefully modernised 4-star hotel and spa, beautifully situated overlooking the River Dart and just a 10-minute riverside stroll into Dartmouth. All bedrooms have lovely river views, comfortable furnishings and the restaurant is award-winning. There is a beautiful spa and indoor pool. The hotel is situated in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
| Tour cost per person (sharing twin or double room) | Single Supplement (for single occupancy of a double room) |
| £4,250 (GBP) | £500 (GBP) |
PRICES INCLUDE: Accommodation at 4-star hotels with en-suite facilities based on twin/double room share; buffet breakfast daily; 3 lunches & 5 dinners; admissions to gardens; first class train travel on day 1 of the tour from London to Cornwall, deluxe coach travel with professional driver; transport to and from the Isles of Scilly; guided tours and speakers as described in an information pack provided at the start of the tour; services of your Sisley tour director throughout; all tour gratuities, arrival transfers are included only if you are joining the tour at London Paddington Station on the first morning of the tour.
PRICES EXCLUDE: Airfares (Isles of Scilly flights included); passport and/or visa fees; beverages; laundry; telephone calls; lunches and dinners (except where included in the itinerary); souvenirs and items of a personal nature.
EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION: You can get an idea of the cost of the tour in your local currency by using a currency converter. Conversion rates are based on institutional or inter-bank daily rates. Retail conversion rates include fees and will generally differ from these rates.
We are delighted that you have decided to join us. It is straightforward to book places on our tours.
Firstly, please complete our booking form (link below). The booking form will ask you to indicate how you would like to book the tour from the following options:
- In $USD by check or credit card with our appointed travel agent in the USA, Worldwide Traveler
- In your local currency through your own travel agent. The booking form asks for their contact details so that we can contact them to progress your booking
- In £GBP by credit card via Paypal or by direct bank transfer directly with Sisley Garden Tours
Once we have received your booking form, we will confirm that places are available and ask you (or your preferred travel agent) for a 10% deposit to secure your booking. Tour balance payment is due 90 days prior to the tour.
BOOK NOWWe very much look forward to welcoming you, but please email tours@sisley.co.uk if you have any queries.
